Bundle breaker having pass through section

ABSTRACT

A bundle breaker includes an upstream breaking section and a downstream breaking section and a platen over each breaking section for clamping a log to the respective breaking section. First and second actuators are configured to move the first and second platens, and a third actuator is configured to move the downstream breaking section relative to the upstream breaking section to break a bundle from a log. An input conveyor is located at the input end of the upstream breaking section and has a first portion that is foldable relative to a second portion to create a gap in the bundle breaker through which a worker can pass.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/005,632, filed Apr. 6, 2020, the entire contents ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to a bundle breaker for breaking logsformed from stacked sheets of material, and, more specifically, to abundle breaker having an input or output section that can be displaced.

BACKGROUND

Many products are manufactured in elongated sheets that can be separatedinto individual blanks along scored or perforated or partially cutlines. For example, corrugated paperboard blanks, from which boxes andother structures may subsequently be formed, are often formed in thismanner.

An elongated sheet of corrugated paperboard may be divided by scorelines into, e.g., five separate blanks. The score lines generally runtransversely, that is, perpendicular to the length of the elongatedsheet. When a plurality of the sheets are arranged in a stack, the scorelines are aligned vertically. Such a stack of elongated sheets made upof individual blanks is sometimes referred to as a “log.” During theprocessing of logs, it is necessary to break individual stacks of sheetsfrom the log along the vertically aligned score lines (sometimesreferred to as a “breaking plane” or “breaking junction”). A stack ofsheets that has been broken off a log may be referred to as a “bundle.”The individual portions of the log that will be broken off the log mayalso be referred to as “bundles” even when they are still attached toeach other in the log. Therefore, a log will comprise a plurality ofbundles joined together at transverse score lines which bundles can bebroken off the log one at a time to form individual bundles.

Machines that receive logs and break individual bundles from the logsare known as “bundle breakers.” The bundle breakers generally includetwo support sections, which may include conveyors, and two platens, onemounted over each support section. The downstream support section cantilt or pivot relative to the upstream support section at a breakinglocation or breaking plane. In operation, a log is moved along thebundle breaker until a score line between a first bundle of the log anda second bundle of the log is arranged at the breaking location, and thefirst bundle is then clamped against the downstream support section bythe first platen and the second portion of the log is clamped againstthe upstream support section by the second platen. An actuator thenshifts one of the support sections, usually the downstream supportsection, relative to the upstream support section to break the log alongthe score lines and separate the first bundle from the log. That firstbundle is then moved away from the breaking location, and the log isshifted further downstream until the score lines separating the secondbundle of the log from the third bundle of the log arrives at thebreaking location at which point the process repeats until all bundlesthat formed the original log have been separated.

Some bundle breakers are configured to break bundles from multiple logsat the same time. That is, a plurality of logs may be arranged withtheir score lines at the breaking location and the logs may besimultaneously clamped by the platens and broken simultaneously by themovement of the downstream section relative to the upstream section. Forexample, three logs may be positioned beneath the first and secondplatens such that the score lines separating the first bundle of eachlog from the second bundle of each log is located at the breakinglocation. The three logs are then simultaneously clamped andsimultaneously broken.

During use or maintenance of a bundle breaker, it is sometimes necessaryto access both sides of the bundle breaker. Due to the structure ofconventional bundle breakers, it may be necessary to provide steps or ascaffold-like arrangement to walk over the input or output section ofthe bundle breaker. This is inconvenient, especially when a worker oroperator needs to move back and forth between the sides of a bundlebreaker repeatedly.

SUMMARY

This and other problems are addressed by embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a first aspect of which comprises a bundle breaker thatincludes an upstream breaking support and a downstream breaking support,each of which has an input end and an output end and each of which maycomprise a conveyor. A first platen is located above the upstreambreaking support, and a first actuator is operably connected to thefirst platen and configured to shift the first platen toward a raisedposition above the upstream breaking support and toward a loweredposition above the upstream breaking support to selectively clamp afirst portion of a log between the first platen and the upstreambreaking support. A second platen is located above the downstreambreaking support, and a second actuator is operably connected to thesecond platen and configured to shift the second platen toward a raisedposition above the downstream breaking support and toward a loweredposition above the downstream breaking support to selectively clamp asecond portion of the log between the second platen and the downstreambreaking support. The bundle breaker includes a third actuatorconfigured to shift the input end of the downstream breaking supportrelative to the output end of the upstream breaking conveyor from afirst position to a second position to break the second portion of thelog from the first portion of the log. In addition, an input conveyor islocated at the input end of the upstream breaking support and has aninput section having a substantially planar top surface and an input endand an output section having a substantially planar top surface and anoutput end. The input conveyor is configured to move the log from theinput section of the input conveyor to the output section of the outputconveyor and from the output section of the input conveyor directly ontothe upstream breaking support. Furthermore, the input section of theinput conveyor is foldable relative to the output section of the inputconveyor from a first position in which a top surface of the inputsection of the input conveyor is substantially coplanar with a topsurface of the output section of the input conveyor and a secondposition in which the top surface of the input section makes an anglerelative to the top surface of the output conveyor.

Another embodiment of the disclosure comprises a bundle breaker thatincludes an upstream breaking support and a downstream breaking support,each of which has an input end and an output end and each of which maycomprise a conveyor. A first platen is located above the upstreambreaking support, and a first actuator is operably connected to thefirst platen and configured to shift the first platen toward a raisedposition above the upstream breaking support and toward a loweredposition above the upstream breaking support to selectively clamp afirst portion of a log between the first platen and the upstreambreaking support. A second platen is located above the downstreambreaking support, and a second actuator is operably connected to thesecond platen and configured to shift the second platen toward a raisedposition above the downstream breaking support and toward a loweredposition above the downstream breaking support to selectively clamp asecond portion of the log between the second platen and the downstreambreaking support. The bundle breaker includes a third actuatorconfigured to shift the input end of the downstream breaking supportrelative to the output end of the upstream breaking conveyor from afirst position to a second position to break the second portion of thelog from the first portion of the log. In addition, an output conveyoris located at the output end of the downstream breaking support and hasan input section having a substantially planar top surface and an inputend and an output section having a substantially planar top surface andan output end. The output conveyor is configured to move a bundle thathas been broken off the log from an output end of the downstreambreaking support to the output end of the output conveyor. Furthermore,the output section of the output conveyor is foldable relative to theinput section of the output conveyor from a first position in which atop surface of the output section of the output conveyor issubstantially coplanar with a top surface of the input section of theoutput conveyor and a second position in which the top surface of theoutput section makes an angle relative to the top surface of the inputsection of the output conveyor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and features of the invention will be betterunderstood after a reading of the following detailed description inconnection with the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bundle breaker according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker according toFIG. 1 showing a log positioned on the bundle breaker with a firstbundle of the log between an upstream breaking conveyor and a firstplaten and a second bundle of the log positioned between a downstreambreaking conveyor and a second platen.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker according toFIG. 2 showing the second platen pressing the first bundle against thedownstream breaking conveyor and the first platen pressing the secondbundle against the upstream breaking conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker according toFIG. 2 showing the downstream breaking conveyor shifted relative to theupstream breaking conveyor and the first bundle broken off the log.

FIG. 5 is side elevational view of the bundle breaker according to FIG.2 showing the downstream breaking conveyor returned to a startingposition with its top surface substantially coplanar with the topsurface of the upstream breaking conveyor and the first bundle movedaway from the log.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the input conveyor of the bundle breaker ofFIG. 1 in a raised position.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the input conveyor of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the input conveyor of FIG. 6 in a loweredposition.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the input conveyor of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of theinput conveyor of FIG. 6 that includes a drive for shifting the inputconveyor between the raised and the lowered positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating presently preferred embodiments of the invention only andnot for the purpose of limiting same, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a bundlebreaker 10 according to the present disclosure. The bundle breaker 10includes a frame 12 supporting an upstream breaking conveyor 14 (anupstream breaking support) and a downstream breaking conveyor 16 (adownstream breaking support). A first platen 18 is mounted to the frame12 above the upstream breaking conveyor 16, and a second platen 20 ismounted to the frame 12 above the downstream breaking conveyor 16.

An input conveyor 22 includes an output section 24 connected to an inputend of the upstream breaking conveyor 14 and an input section 26. Theinput section 26 is hingedly connected to the output section 24 and isshiftable between a raised position, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7 anda lowered position illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. In the raised oroperating position, the top surface of the input section 26 issubstantially coplanar with the top surface of the output section 24,and the top of the upstream breaking conveyor 14. In the lowered, orpass-through position, the top surface of the input section 26 is angledrelative to the top surface of the output section 24 at an obtuse orright angle. In the raised position, the input conveyor 22 helps deliverlogs to the breaking conveyors 14, 16 and to support downstream portionsof the logs during a breaking operation. In the lowered position, anoperator can pass through the bundle breaker to access the far side ofthe bundle breaker 10 to reach equipment located on the far side of thebundle breaker 10. A similarly configured output conveyor can optionallybe located downstream of the downstream breaking conveyor 16 as shown inFIG. 1. For example, if the bundle breaker of FIG. 1 were operated inreverse, the input conveyor 10 would function as an output conveyor.

The input conveyor 22 includes a continuous belt 30 supported by aninput end support shaft 32, an output end support shaft 34 and a centersupport shaft 36, the center support shaft being located at the hingedconnection between the input section 26 and the output section 24. Alock bar 38 holds the input section 26 in the raised position, and a gasspring 40 helps control the transition of the input section 26 from theraised to the lowered position.

The input conveyor 22 can be shifted manually between the raised andlowered positions. Alternately, an optional drive 70, illustrated inFIG. 10, can be attached to the frame 12 below the output section 24 andconnected to a plate 72 on the underside of the input section 26 by anassembly 74 comprising a rod 76 telescopically mounted in a tube 78. Therod and tube assembly 74 can be, for example, a hydraulic or pneumaticactuator, an electrically operable linear actuator, a ball-screwassembly or any other assembly that allows the rod 76 to be extended andretracted in the tube 78 to apply force against the underside of theinput section 26 of the input conveyor 22. The drive 70 can becontrolled by a switch (not illustrated) at the input conveyor 22 or canbe connected to a controller that controls the overall operation of thebundle breaker 10.

The input end support shaft 32 is mounted between two plates 41 whichplates 41 are each slidably mounted on a pair of rods 43 and biased awayfrom the output section 24 by a pair of springs 45. The force producedon the input end support shaft 32 maintains a suitable tension on thebelt 30 during use. In addition, changes in the length of the belt 30that occur when the input section 26 is shifted between the raised andlowered positions are accommodated by the sliding movement of the plates41 along the rods 43. This configuration maintains a substantiallyconstant tension on the belt 30 and allows the belt to operate when theinput section 26 is in the raised or lowered position as well as whilethe input section 26 is being moved between the raised and loweredpositions. The plates 41, rods 43 and springs 45 may be referred to incombination as a “spring-loaded take up assembly.”

The input conveyor 22 also includes a drive 42 operably connected to adrive sprocket 44 (FIG. 7) for driving the input conveyor 22. The inputconveyor 22 can be controlled independently or, preferably, controlledby a controller (not illustrated) that controls the operation of thebundle breaker 10 to help coordinate the movement of the belts of theinput conveyor 22, the upstream breaking conveyor 14 and the downstreambreaking conveyor 16. The controller can comprise a microprocessor orother circuitry configured to control the operation of the bundlebreaker 10.

The first platen 18 is connected to the frame 12 by a first platensupport 46, and the second platen 20 is connected to the frame 12 by asecond platen support 48. The first platen support 46 will primarily bediscussed hereafter, it being understood that the second platen support48 is substantially identical thereto. The first platen support 46includes a bottom frame 50 to which the first platen 18 is attached andfirst and second side plates 52, and a motor mount 54 supported by thebottom frame 50 at a location between the first and second side plates52 and a motor 56 supported by the motor mount 54. Each of the sideplates 52 has inner sides that face the motor 56 and outer sides thatface away from the motor 56. Each of the side plates includes a notch58, and a drive shaft 60 extends from either side of the motor 56through the notches 58. A drive gear 62 is mounted at each end of thedrive shaft 60 on the outer sides of the side plate 52.

The operation of the bundle breaker 10 will now be described. FIG. 1shows three transversely spaced logs L1, L2 and L3 supported on theinput conveyor 22 and the upstream breaking conveyor 14. the logs L1,L2, L3 could have been placed in this location in any manner or couldhave arrived at the input conveyor from another conveyor (notillustrated). FIG. 2 shows the logs (of which only log L3 is visible)moved downstream by movement of the input conveyor 22, the upstreambreaking conveyor 14 and the downstream breaking conveyor 16 so that thedownstream-most bundle of the log L3 overlies the downstream breakingconveyor 16 and the junction (score line, perforation, etc.) between thefirst and second bundles of the logs is located at the breaking plane orthe junction between the upstream breaking conveyor 14 and thedownstream breaking conveyor 16.

FIG. 3 shows the second platen support 48 in contact with thedownstream-most bundle of the log L3 and the first platen support 46 incontact with an adjacent bundle. With the first bundles of the threelogs L1, L2 and L3 clamped between the second platen 20 and thedownstream breaking conveyor 16 and the second bundles in each logclamped between the first platen 18 and the upstream breaking conveyor14, the downstream breaking conveyor 16 is shifted relative to theupstream breaking conveyor 14 by an actuator that includes a drive 72, adrive disk 74 and a drive rod 78 to break the downstream-most bundlefrom the logs. The downstream breaking conveyor 16 is then operated tomove the broken bundle away from the bundle breaker 10 while the inputconveyor 22 and the upstream breaking conveyor 14 are operated toadvance the logs L1, L2, L3 until the junction between the newdownstream-most bundle and the adjacent bundle of each log is located atthe junction of the upstream and downstream breaking conveyors 14, 16 atwhich time the above process is repeated.

At times when no log is supported by the input section 26 of the inputconveyor 22, the input section 26 can be shifted from a raised position,shown, for example, in FIG. 7, to a lowered position as shown forexample in FIG. 9. This is done by releasing the lock bar 38 holding theinput section 26 in place releasing the input conveyor section 26 sothat it can be lowered at a controlled rate the by gas spring 40. Or, ifa drive 70 and rod and tube assembly 74 is present, the input conveyorsection 26 can be lowered automatically. During the transition from theraised to lowered position, the length of the belt 30 may changesomewhat, and this change in length is accommodated by the spring-loadedtake up assembly formed by the plates 41, rods 43 and springs 45. Thiscreates an opening through the bundle breaker 10 though which anoperator or technician can pass to access the rear side of the machine.For safety reasons, it is preferable that the bundle breaker 10 bestopped when the input section 26 of the conveyor section is lowered andraised; however, as long as the upstream-most bundle of the log beingprocessed is downstream of the input section 26 and a next log to beprocessed has not yet reached the input section 26, the input section 26can be raised and lowered without affecting the ability of the outputsection 24 to support and convey logs toward the upstream breakingconveyor 14 because the input conveyor 22 is configured to operate ineither the raised or lowered position and during transition betweenthese two positions.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presentlypreferred embodiments. Modifications and additions to these embodimentswill become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon areading of the foregoing description. It is intended that all suchmodifications and additions form a part of the present invention to theextent they fall within the scope of the several claims appended hereto.

We claim:
 1. A bundle breaker comprising: an upstream breaking supporthaving an input end and an output end, a first platen located above theupstream breaking support, a first actuator operably connected to thefirst platen and configured to shift the first platen toward a raisedposition above the upstream breaking support and toward a loweredposition above the upstream breaking support to selectively clamp afirst portion of a log between the first platen and the upstreambreaking support, a downstream breaking support having an input end andan output end, a second platen located above the downstream breakingsupport, and a second actuator operably connected to the second platenand configured to shift the second platen toward a raised position abovethe downstream breaking support and toward a lowered position above thedownstream breaking support to selectively clamp a second portion of thelog between the second platen and the downstream breaking support, athird actuator configured to shift the input end of the downstreambreaking support relative to the output end of the upstream breakingsupport from a first position to a second position to break the secondportion of the log from the first portion of the log, and an inputconveyor having an input section having a substantially planar topsurface and an input end and an output section having a substantiallyplanar top surface and an output end, the input conveyor beingconfigured to move the log from the input section of the input conveyorto the output section of the output conveyor and from the output sectionof the input conveyor directly onto the upstream breaking support,wherein the input section of the input conveyor is foldable relative tothe output section of the input conveyor from a first position in whicha top surface of the input section of the input conveyor issubstantially coplanar with a top surface of the output section of theinput conveyor and a second position in which the top surface of theinput section makes an angle relative to the top surface of the outputsection.
 2. The bundle breaker according to claim 1, wherein thedownstream breaking support comprises a downstream breaking conveyor. 3.The bundle breaker according to claim 2, wherein the upstream breakingsupport comprises an upstream breaking conveyor.
 4. The bundle breakeraccording to claim 3, wherein the input conveyor comprises a firstsupport shaft at the input end of the input section, a second supportshaft at the output end of the output section, and an endless beltsupported by the first and second support shafts, the endless belt beingconfigured to be driven about the first and second shafts.
 5. The bundlebreaker according to claim 4, including a center support between thefirst and second support shafts wherein the endless belt is guided bythe center support when the input section is in the second position. 6.The bundle breaker according to claim 4, wherein the non-parallel angleis an obtuse angle or a right angle.
 7. The bundle breaker according toclaim 4, including a drive configured to shift the input section of theinput conveyor between the first position and the second position. 8.The bundle breaker according to claim 4, wherein the output section ofthe input conveyor is fixed relative to the upstream breaking conveyor.9. The bundle breaker according to claim 4, wherein the bundle breakerincludes a frame supporting the upstream breaking conveyor and thedownstream breaking conveyor and the first platen and the second platenand at least the output end of the output section of the input conveyor.10. The bundle breaker according to claim 3, wherein the upstreambreaking conveyor and the input conveyor are supported by an integralframe.
 11. The bundle breaker according to claim 3, wherein the inputsection includes a spring-loaded take up assembly configured to maintaina tension of the belt when the input section shifts between the firstposition and the second position.
 12. The bundle breaker according toclaim 4, wherein the first support shaft is supported by first andsecond end supports, and wherein the first and second end supports areslidably mounted on a frame of the input section.
 13. The bundle breakeraccording to claim 12, wherein the first and second end supports arespring-biased toward the input end.
 14. A method comprising: providingthe input conveyor of claim 4; and shifting the input section from thefirst position to the second position while driving the endless belt.15. A bundle breaker comprising: an upstream breaking support having aninput end and an output end, a first platen located above the upstreambreaking support, a first actuator operably connected to the firstplaten and configured to shift the first platen toward a raised positionabove the upstream breaking support and toward a lowered position abovethe upstream breaking support to selectively clamp a first portion of alog between the first platen and the upstream breaking support, adownstream breaking support having an input end and an output end, asecond platen located above the downstream breaking support, and asecond actuator operably connected to the second platen and configuredto shift the second platen toward a raised position above the downstreambreaking support and toward a lowered position above the downstreambreaking support to selectively clamp a second portion of the logbetween the second platen and the downstream breaking support, a thirdactuator configured to shift the input end of the downstream breakingsupport relative to the output end of the upstream breaking support froma first position to a second position to break the second portion of thelog from the first portion of the log, and an output conveyor having aninput section having a substantially planar top surface and an input endand an output section having a substantially planar top surface and anoutput end, the output conveyor being configured to move a bundle brokenoff the log from an output end of the downstream breaking support towardthe output end of the output conveyor, wherein the output section of theoutput conveyor is foldable relative to the input section of the outputconveyor from a first position in which a top surface of the outputsection of the output conveyor is substantially coplanar with a topsurface of the input section of the output conveyor and a secondposition in which the top surface of the output section of the outputconveyor makes an angle relative to the top surface of the input sectionof the output conveyor.
 16. The bundle breaker according to claim 15,wherein the output conveyor comprises a first support shaft at the inputend of the input section, a second support shaft at the output end ofthe output section, and an endless belt supported by the first andsecond support shafts, the endless belt being configured to be drivenabout the first and second shafts.
 17. The bundle breaker according toclaim 16, including a center support between the first and secondsupport shafts wherein the endless belt is guided by the center supportwhen the output section is in the second position.
 18. The bundlebreaker according to claim 17, wherein the output section of the outputconveyor is fixed relative to the downstream breaking conveyor.
 19. Thebundle breaker according to claim 17, wherein the bundle breakerincludes a frame supporting the upstream breaking conveyor and thedownstream breaking conveyor and the first platen and the second platenand at least the input end of the input section of the output conveyor.20. The bundle breaker according to claim 17, wherein the downstreambreaking conveyor and the output conveyor are supported by an integralframe.